December 06, 2022
Dear Supporter
Ratepayer victory! Wayne Brown to keep rates below inflation
We fought hard during the recent mayoral election to stop big double-digit rate rises.
Thanks to your support, we've had a huge breakthrough.
Wayne Brown is promising to keep rates below household inflation, with an overall increase of 4.66% in 2023. That is two-thirds lower than what Council officers have been pushing for!
...But it's not over yet.
The books are open, and Auckland is on the edge of a fiscal cliff. Just as we predicted. Phil Goff’s supposed $90 million of savings has turned into a $300 million deficit (and that’s a conservative estimate)!
Keeping rates down can only work if there are massive cost-savings. Mayor Brown and the Governing Body must take drastic action if we are to avoid catastrophic debt, with soaring interest payments.
Are they doing enough?
Mayor Brown has promised $130 million of savings in his 2023 budget proposal. Just under half of that will come from Auckland Council head office with only $25 million from Auckland Transport.
The Mayor’s spin doctors are claiming it is the “biggest savings package” in Auckland Council’s history. But we don’t think the savings are anywhere near big enough.
AT spends nearly $20 million on "marketing" alone! That could easily be halved.
Then there is Panuku, the Council’s over-glorified middleman that clips the ticket on major development projects.
Under persistent questioning from your humble Ratepayer’s Alliance, Panuku has acknowledged that its flash corporate office and big-salaried management are 100% paid for by you the ratepayer.
Now we have found they spent $29,000 and 45 hours of staff time on promoting an “Urban Walking Festival”!
Yet the fat cats at Panuku say they can only find $5 million of savings. We don’t believe it. And neither should the Mayor. If you haven’t signed our petition to Defund Punuku yet, you can do it here.
We need all options on the table
Our co-founder Jordan Williams was interviewed by Newshub last Friday about Mayor Brown’s proposal to sell the Council’s 18% share in Auckland International Airport.
The shares are valued at $2 billion but holding on to them is estimated to cost $88 million per year.
But it is just one option. As Jordan told Newshub, we think it’s about time the Council looked at selling the Ports of Auckland company. Back in October, the Herald reported that a Dubai-based company was interested in a long-term contract to run the Ports.
Wayne Brown shut it down because a majority of the 20 councillors are opposed. That’s a pity. This kind of short-term, narrow-minded thinking is the reason we got into such a mess!
Let’s just hope that fiscal conservatism prevails when they vote on the Mayor’s budget proposal next week.
We’ll be watching closely!
Our job is to make sure these people keep their word. But we can't do it without you.
Click here to make a confidential and secure donation.
Thank you for your support,
Josh Van Veen
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance
www.ratepayers.nz
ps. This effort is 100% funded by donations from our supporters. Unlike other ratepayer groups, we don't take money from Auckland Council! That means we're relying on your support.
December 05, 2022
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance is praising Mayor Wayne Brown’s commitment to keeping rates below inflation but warns that his proposed savings package isn’t bold enough.
Mayor Wayne Brown has announced that he intends to propose a 4.66% overall rates increase in the 2023/24 financial year. This is likely to keep rate increases well below the Consumer Price Index. During the 2022 election, Brown refused to sign the Ratepayer Protection Pledge to keep rates below inflation and rule out any new targeted rates.
However, it is better late than never, and we welcome Mayor Brown’s decision to adopt our policy of no rate increases above household inflation. At a time of great hardship for those on low and fixed incomes, any rate rises that outpace inflation would be grossly unfair.”
While the Ratepayers’ Alliance is tentatively supporting Mayor Brown’s budget proposal, it is concerned that the proposed $130 million savings package is much too small. It is noted that $60 million of the savings are expected to come from the Auckland Council parent with only $25 million from Auckland Transport.
Given that Auckland Transport spends half of our rates, we expected the Mayor to demand much greater savings from the CCO. AT claims it will find the savings from IT and insurance costs. But we know AT spends over $20 million on communications and marketing alone. That should be halved!
November 04, 2022
Dear Supporter,
Our electronic billboard opposite the Panuku office on Wyndham Street has been a huge success. Inside word is that the grossly overpaid middle managers are upset. The new Mayor is demanding to know what they do!
Even the hopelessly biased Stuff is reporting on our campaign to Defund Panuku.
But we need to make sure the Governing Body takes urgent action to suspend ratepayer funding of Panuku. If you've not yet signed the petition, please take 30 seconds to do so here.
In the last financial year, Panuku spent $34 million ($62.37 per Auckland household) on staff salaries and office space. To cover these costs, Panuku "recharged" the Council $14.5 million in staff time and received an $18.3 million handout from ratepayers.
Panuku spinning faster than a roulette wheel at SkyCity!
We've got them on the defensive. The ratepayer-funded spin doctors at Panuku have responded to pressure from your humble Ratepayers' Alliance and released a summary of their most recent financials with a lot of PR gloss.
But it doesn't tell the story they think it does!
In fact, the information confirms that Panuku is a fiscal burden on ratepayers.
In the current financial year, Panuku says it will make $4.3 million less than it plans to spend on big staff salaries and consultant fees for 'urban regeneration'. And that is excluding the millions they charge the Council in staff time for other work.
So, what does Panuku actually do?
Panuku's main role is to buy, manage and sell property on behalf of us ratepayers. Before the Super City the old councils used to employ their own teams of property managers without the need for standalone agencies.
But as soon as Panuku was established it went beyond just property management to dabble in what it calls "urban regeneration". In practice that means acting as a middle man for big multi-million dollar development contracts - at net cost to ratepayers.
The reality is that despite employing urban planners and designers, Panuku doesn't develop any of these projects directly!
It's just not clear what (if any) value the highly paid staff at Panuku add. The real work of design, planning and construction is done by private contractors who Panuku hire on behalf of the Council. Not to mention the more than 200 town planners based in the Council's Albert Street headquarters...
And some of those big contracts Panuku has awarded are under scrutiny for alleged conflicts of interest.
There are simply too many corporate executives, managers, and consultants clipping the ticket.
Let's keep up the fight
With your support, the Ratepayers' Alliance is going to ramp up the pressure. Not just on Panuku itself but the 20 councillors who are ultimately responsible for funding this outfit.
In December, we expect to have the Mayor’s budget proposal, and a round of public consultation will follow. We’re gearing up for a big fight. Defunding Panuku must be on the agenda.
Ratepayer victory: Rates to stay below inflation
In his inaugural speech at Town Hall last Friday, Wayne Brown finally went on record to say that he is committed to keeping rates below inflation. This was a policy your humble Ratepayers’ Alliance campaigned hard for during the election.
At the time, Brown refused to sign the Ratepayer Protection Pledge. But we’re pleased that he adopted the policy on his first official day as Mayor.
The question now is whether the 20 councillors are going to honour the Mayor’s mandate? Thanks to our campaign, there is now a fiscal conservative-majority on the Governing Body.
Our job is to make sure these people keep their word. But we can't do it without you. Click here to make a confidential and secure donation.
Thank you for your support!
Josh Van Veen
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance
www.ratepayers.nz
ps. This effort is 100% funded by donations from our supporters. Unlike other ratepayer groups, we don't take money from Auckland Council! That means we're relying on your support.
August 13, 2022
Dear Supporter,
I hope you're having a great weekend. As you will have seen in the media, this month's Ratepayers' Alliance-Curia Mayoral Poll has caused quite a stir!
But before we get to that, a big thank you to the thousands who have lent their support to our campaign to stop Councillors Pippa Coom and Chris Darby from cheering on those who want to close a lane on the Harbour Bridge to turn it into a cycleway. If you've not yet signed the petition, please take 30 seconds to do so here.
New Poll: Race is wide open
While the headline results from our mayoral poll have been widely covered in the media – we are now releasing the full report exclusive to our supporters.
Labour Party-endorsed Efeso Collins remains the front-runner with 22.3% of those voters who are decided.
Ex-Far North Mayor Wayne Brown is a close second on 18.6%. Businessman Leo Molloy (14.5%) was just edging out C&R's Viv Beck (12.5%) for third place, but with his withdrawal (see below) things get interesting on the centre-right.
It is remarkable that no candidate has over 25% of the decided vote.
Poll reaction: Leo Molloy pulls out
Within hours of giving the headline numbers to the NZ Herald, Leo Molloy announced his decision to withdraw from the race.
The poll had Mr Molloy in third place for the 'decided' vote and yesterday being the deadline for nominations, he decided it was time to call it quits.
You can watch Newshub's 6pm bulletin coverage from last night here.
Given the margin of error, we stress that even those candidates in third or fourth place could still win.
As with previous poll, it confirms that Collins, with the backing of Labour and the Greens, maintains an advantage over his rivals but clearly shows that the vast majority of Aucklanders want a "change candidate", not a sitting councillor / "status quo candidate".
You can read the full polling report here.
Will Leo Molloy vote propel another anti-establishment candidate to the front?
Dr Molloy pulling out of the race could see one of the trailing candidates catapulted into first place.
This morning's Weekend Herald carries an editorial by the Business Herald Editor, Fran O'Sullivan. She says:
Of the candidates left standing, I would rate Wayne Brown as having the best chance of making a major difference to the city.
Brown — like Molloy — is an iconoclast with a big ego. He is also abrasive.
That said, he does have a track record of achievement. He proved that while chairing the Auckland DHB and dealing with a major fiscal issue, and he is across other strategic questions like the ultimate shifting of Auckland's port.
Continue reading (NZ Herald paywalled).
We should get an indication of who benefits from Dr Molloy's decision when we release our next poll in about a month's time – the final poll before voting closes on 8 October.
Until then, thank you for your support and to all our financial supporters who make this work possible.
August 13, 2022
This morning, the NZ Herald published the headline results from our August mayoral poll - and now we’re releasing the full report exclusive to our supporters.
The headline results: Race still wide open
According to the Ratepayers’ Alliance/Curia Poll, Labour-endorsed candidate Councillor Efeso Collins (Manukau) remains the front-runner with 22.3% of the decided vote.
Ex-Far North Mayor Wayne Brown is a close second on 18.6%. Businessman Leo Molloy (14.5%) is just edging out C&R's Viv Beck (12.5%) for third place.
Given the margin of error we must stress that even those candidates in third or fourth place could still win. But this poll confirms that Collins, with the backing of Labour and the Greens, maintains a strong advantage over his rivals.
Exclusively for Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance Supporters: you can read the full polling report here.
Exclusively for Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance Supporters: you can read the full polling report here.
Our poll uncovers three things:
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The vast majority of Aucklanders want a change in direction. With the exception of sitting councillor Efeso Collins, all of the other mainstream candidates are promising to rein in council excess, waste, and continued rate hikes.
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The centre-right is spread between four candidates.
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Sitting councillor Efeso Collins has the advantage thanks to being the only left-wing candidate and the Labour Party machine having not yet kicked into gear.
As I told the NZ Herald, "The time has come for [the National Party] to get off the fence. In the interests of local democracy, we are calling on the Opposition to endorse a candidate for change in Auckland".
With too many 'change' candidates running, the lack of leadership by National could see a continued high-spending, high-rates, Mayor for Auckland. Ratepayers deserve so much better...
Poll shows that vast majority of Aucklanders are against Goff's new climate rate
The middle of a cost-of-living crisis isn't the time to pile on new costs for ratepayers. But last week, that's exactly what a majority of councillors voted for.
Councillors voted to endorse Mayor Goff’s billion-dollar Climate Action Plan – a plan that will see the average rates bill go up by 5.7%!
To our disappointment, one of the enthusiastic backers was Councillor Desley Simpson (Ōrākei ward), who is Mr Goff's Finance and Performance Committee Chair. She even asked the Mayor a series of ‘patsy’ questions to justify her support!
Desley Simpson wasn't the only councillor who claims to stand for ratepayers but voted in support of the so-called 'targeted rate'. But we're highlighting her voting record as she was the only "Citizens and Ratepayers" councillor to support Mr Goff's new rate.
Alongside the Goff-aligned councillors, Cr Simpson ignored the 1500+ people who used our online submission tool and the many others who wrote in to tell the Council that now is not the time to lean into new spending initiatives.
And we know the message was received loud and clear. During the 5-hour debate, several councillors acknowledged your humble Ratepayers’ Alliance. Mayor Goff resorted to misinformation tactics – calling Auckland's largest ratepayer group, a ‘fringe element’! Clearly, we got under his skin...
But in the end, only two councillors had the courage to make a stand against the Climate Action Targeted Rate. Councillor Daniel Newman (Manurewa-Papakura) and Councillor Greg Sayers (Rodney) both went on the record to oppose Goff's greedy $57 million a year climate change revenue grab.
On the adoption of the overall budget, this is how they voted:
There is still one last vote on this year's Council budget. We are urging supporters to contact their local councillor ahead of the vote and tell them why the Climate Action Plan must be opposed.
Aucklanders agree: Now is not the time to hike costs 📈
Auckland Council claims there is broad public support for a Climate Action Targeted Rate. However, our poll found that a majority of Aucklanders oppose the new rate.
You make this possible
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance/Curia poll is the only public poll of the Auckland mayoralty to be released in 2022. We hope to bring you one further poll before voting opens on 16 September, so that you can make an informed decision.
But we can’t do it without you – please consider making a donation to support our mission of reasonable rates, sensible spending and more transparency in the Super City.
Thank you for your support,
Josh Van Veen
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance
www.ratepayers.nz
ps. This effort is 100% funded by donations from our supporters. Unlike other ratepayer groups, we don't take money from Auckland Council! That means we're relying on your support.
July 14, 2022
Last night, the NZ Herald published the headline results from our July Auckland mayoral poll - and today we’re releasing the full report exclusive to our supporters.
The headline results: Efeso Collins front-runner, but Molloy close behind with Beck and Brown in third and fourth place
According to the Ratepayers’ Alliance/Curia Poll, Labour-endorsed candidate Councillor Efeso Collins (Manukau) is on 27% among decided voters. Businessman Leo Molloy is hot on his heels with 23% support.
Heart of the City CEO Viv Beck - who Communities & Ratepayers endorsed on Tuesday night - comes in at third place on 18%. Ex-Far North mayor Wayne Brown is further behind with just 15%. Craig Lord also received considerable support (13%) and New Conservative leader Ted Johnston debuted in the Ratepayers’ Alliance/Curia Poll on 5%.
Exclusively for Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance Supporters: you can read the full polling report here.
Favourability
In our July poll we also measured name recognition and “favourability”. Curia Market Research asked respondents if they had heard of each candidate and if so whether they had a positive, neutral, or negative opinion of them.
Net favourability was the difference between the number of people who had a positive opinion and those who had a negative opinion of the candidate.
When it came to name recognition, Leo Molloy led with 64% though he had the lowest favourability rating of all the candidates. Despite low name recognition, Wayne Brown and Viv Beck had the highest favourability. You can read the full report here.
What does it mean?
It’s clear that Aucklanders want a new direction. An overwhelming majority of decided voters are backing centre-right or anti-establishment candidates.
But the field is too crowded. Efeso Collins has the advantage because he’s backed by the Labour Party machine - and if there is anything the left does well, it’s organise.
The failure of the National Party to endorse a candidate for change in Auckland means that the centre-right lacks decisive leadership. As I told the NZ Herald last night, Christopher Luxon might as well join Labour and endorse Collins.
There is still hope. Nominations officially open tomorrow and will close on 12 August. In response to our poll, we’re hearing rumours that at least one of the candidates might pull out. If there was ever a time to put principle before ego, now is it.
Those candidates who know they won’t win have a duty to bow out and ensure the forces of change sweep Auckland in October.
You make this possible
The Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance/Curia poll is the only public poll of the Auckland mayoralty to be released in 2022. We hope to bring you two further polls before voting opens on 16 September, so that you can make an informed decision.
But we can’t do it without you – please consider making a donation to support our mission of reasonable rates, sensible spending and more transparency in the Super City.
Thank you for your support,
Josh Van Veen
Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance
www.ratepayers.nz
ps. This effort is 100% funded by donations from our supporters. Unlike other ratepayer groups, we don't take money from Auckland Council! That means we're relying on your support.
June 17, 2022
Exclusive to members and supporters of the Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance, today we are releasing the first Ratepayers' Alliance-Curia Poll covering this year's mayoralty election, and other issues on the super city.
June 03, 2022
Only 3% of Aucklanders support higher spending on cycleways, according to a new poll.
The scientific poll of 1,000 New Zealanders was conducted by Curia Market Research and asked, On the whole, do you think your local council is spending too much on cycleways, or too little? Or does the current level of spending seem about right?
Forty-two percent of New Zealanders think local councils are spending too much on cycleways. Only 10% of respondents think councils are spending too little on cycleways, while 36% think current spending is about right.
However, a regional breakdown found that a majority (52%) of Aucklanders think Auckland Council is spending too much on cycleways and 28% think current spending is about right. Only 3% think too little is being spent. The results pour scorn on claims by the cycling lobby and Auckland Transport that there is wide public support for the Council to spend billions more on cycleways over the next decade.
It is important to note that the Auckland results are based on a smaller sample size of 273 responses with a higher margin of error. But even so, the poll confirms what many of us have long believed. Auckland Council has been captured by a special interest group who represent less than 10% of Aucklanders. The overwhelming majority (80%) believe that either too much has been spent or enough has been spent.
June 02, 2022
Officials have revealed that Auckland Council spent $320,000 on 50 art and lighting installations for the “City of Colour” event, while ratepayer-funded Heart of the City spent $60,000 to promote it. The Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance is calling for mayoral candidates Viv Beck and Councillor Efeso Collins to please explain.
Documents released under the Local Official Information and Meetings Act reveal that Council staff have spent $320,000 on the production, installation, and maintenance of temporary artwork for an immersive light trail.
Mayoral candidate Viv Beck’s ratepayer-funded Heart of the City also pledged $60,000 to promote the event. Staff from the Council’s Development Programme Office claim that the sculptures and light displays are designed to bring people back to the city.
Ratepayers’ Alliance spokesman Josh Van Veen said, “Who is going to make a special trip to the city to look at an inflatable cactus garden or canopy of ribbons? There is a cost of living crisis. Auckland households and small businesses are struggling to pay the bills.”
“Councillors need to seriously reflect on whether this is the kind of gimmick they had in mind when voting for the Recovery Budget last year. We're now looking down the barrel of a $175 million deficit in the next financial year. The Council can barely afford to pay for essential services.”
“But maybe the real question is why the Council needs a Development Programme Office when it has given Eke Panuku, the economic development agency, an annual budget of nearly $40 million?”
The Ratepayers’ Alliance is challenging mayoral candidates Viv Beck and Councillor Efeso Collins to go on record and defend the City of Colour event.
May 13, 2022
Today I'm introducing our new Campaigns Manager, Josh Van Veen. Josh started with us ten days ago, but is already exposing Auckland Council in a way the mainstream media are not. As you'll read below, Josh exposes that the amount Auckland Transport plans to spend on new cycleways equals an incredible $6,200 for every household.
With new rates, mounting debt, Auckland Transport running out of money, and Nanaia Mahuta's plan to steal our "3 Waters" assets, the work of the Ratepayers' Alliance and our mission of Reasonable Rates and Sensible Spending in our Super City has never been more crucial.
I asked Josh to provide some commentary on the Council as he starts in his new role. Here's what he asked me to forward:
The key problem with Auckland Council is that too many decisions are made by unelected bureaucrats without genuine public consultation, leading to tremendous waste, and incompetence that would not be tolerated anywhere else. I know this because I've spent a decade working in the public sector, including for a Council-Controlled Organisation. I decided to leave my role in local government and join the Ratepayers' Alliance because I was fed up with seeing grossly overpaid middle managers run the Council like a corporate playground.
Just how bad is the financial situation at Auckland Council?
In February, officials revealed that Auckland Council's debt has reached $10.5 billion and there is a projected shortfall of $85 million for the 2022/23 financial year. Astonishingly, the word ‘debt’ appeared only once in the public consultation document that went out for feedback in March.
To put Mr Goff's legacy of $10.5 billion of debt in perspective, that is the equivalent of a $21,050 overdraft in the letterbox of every single Auckland household.
Unfortunately, most ratepayers were too busy balancing their household finances to notice the public consultation which passed with almost no media attention. Less than 1% of Aucklanders submitted - and most of those were the boxed-in questionnaire response submissions (which, as we know, the officials prepare to ensure that only those things they want ratepayers to focus on - such as new cycleway - are included.
Councillor Desley Simpson (Ōrākei), who is Phil Goff's Chair of his Finance and Performance Committee, said the 1% result was “pleasing”. I bet it was! This is exactly the kind of fly by night consultation the bureaucrats rely on to get sign off from the politicians. Of course, the mounting debt reflects very poorly on Ms Simpson and Mr Goff's financial stewardship over the last 6 years.
Ms Simpson sells herself as fiscally prudent - representing the Ōrākei ward's blue ribbon leafy suburbs of Remuera, St Johns, Mission Bay, and Kohimarama – but her voting record says otherwise...
Now the Council plans to spend $6200 per household on new cycleways
Last week, Councillors endorsed a plan by Auckland Transport that signals spending a further $1.7 billion on new cycleways over the next decade.
The $1.7 billion is in addition to $306 million of funding allocated to cycling last year, and more than $1 billion of projects already underway. In total that adds up to $6,200 per household on cycleways.
You really couldn't make this up. The spending is unfunded - I was in the room when Mayor Goff literally said "I don't know where the $1.7 billion is going to come from" - but he voted for it anyway!
With this sort of attitude is it any wonder that Auckland Transport is already running out of money and might not be able to maintain public transport at current levels.
The elephant in the room: just 1% of travel is on a bike
But here's the thing, cycling accounts for just 1% of the distance travelled in Auckland. Even with this massive investment, Auckland Transport expects that number to only increase to 7% by the 2030s (even that is being optimistic). Unlike the Copenhagen dream the cycle advocates sell, Auckland is not flat. It's also spread out.
On Thursday, I spoke to Susie Ferguson on RNZ's Morning Report - I pointed out the plain fact that most Aucklanders don’t want to cycle.
The arrogance of Auckland Transport on display...
As you can see Auckland Council continues to be the poster child of fiscal irresponsibility. But it’s even worse than that. During the Town Hall meeting, we learnt that AT officials deliberately withheld the business case from elected councillors until 8:30pm the night before the $1.7 billion cycle plan vote.
...and the claim from the Mayor that billion dollar "business cases" being voted on don't need to be read by councillors!
But the most extraordinary revelation came when Mayor Goff and Councillor Chris Darby (North Shore), who chairs the Mayor's Planning Committee, reassured their colleagues that it is unusual for elected members to read business cases, as they are ‘technical documents’! Jesus wept.
This blatant attempt to ignore good governance and process was challenged by some councillors, but unfortunately still succeeded. Thirteen councillors voted in favour of the business case without having studied it in detail.
Seven councillors abstained - including centre-right "C&R" councillors Christine Fletcher (Albert-Eden-Puketāpapa) and Desley Simpson.
Unlike the Councillors, your humble Ratepayers' Alliance has read the billion dollar business case
Had the Mayor and Councillors read the business case, they would have seen that AT says there is already a $20 billion shortfall in funding for infrastructure. You must ask: if the money isn’t there, why are AT officials spending a fortune on consultants and planning activities for infrastructure that they know there isn't the money to build?
Furthermore, why are they doing it at the expense of the public transport system and roads that Aucklanders actually use? And why are Councillors loading up on projects they know will lead to stratospheric rates increases in years to come?
These are questions we're going to keep asking so long as we continue to have the support of Aucklanders who make our work possible.
The cycleway blowout is just the beginning. In a Council election year, the Ratepayers' Alliance will be working to ensure you know which councillors have consistently voted for big-spending and even higher rates. They can fool some of the people some of the time. But they can’t fool all the people all the time. It's time to reclaim local democracy for Auckland, and I'm looking forward to doing my part to make it happen!
Thank you for your support,
